6/22/2007

Dodds blasts plans for an "IRA shrine"

It seems DUP Enterprise minister Nigel Dodds is not too happy about plans to keep one of the H-Blocks as a conflict transformation centre.

Dodds said that Unionists will not accept the building of a new sports stadium at the site if it also contains "a shrine to IRA terrorism".

There seems to be mixed messages coming from the DUP over the issue of the stadium at the site.

Ian Paisley has said that a proposed site in Belfast is out of the question and the Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister Edwin Poots has already said the site at Lisburn is the preferred option.

It's common knowledge that Nigel was unhappy about the DUP deal with Sinn Féin and ever since the executive was formed he has been running around like a prophet of doom.

According to Dodds the conflict transformation centre appears to be a pre-requisite for Sinn Féin supporting the stadium project and would become a shrine to the hunger strikers who died at the H-Blocks in the 1980's.

"That would be obnoxious to the vast majority of people and is something unionist people cannot accept,"

Nigel does not speak for the vast majority of people; he needs to get that through his head first of all. Secondly he also needs to remember that there are two veto's at play in the Assembly.

There is the Unionist veto and the Nationalist/Republican veto.

The only way that we can govern is through partnership and agreement, so he can stick his objections where the sun doesn't shine!

I personally have little time for this proposed new stadium for a number of reasons. It is going to be used by Rugby, GAA and Soccer. Now the only thing the GAA will use the stadium for is the McKenna cup matches, maybe.

As I don't go to Rugby matches in the North and I would never attend a NI soccer match that leaves me with no reason to attend the stadium.

So I don't really care where the stadium is, I would however like to see one of the H-Blocks kept so that future generations can learn from our shared period of conflict.

Nigel's just upset that his community are no longer top dogs, he's going to have to get used to that!